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Tuesday, June 10

Where You Least Expect It

"When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him." - Luke 24:30-31

Dear Friends,

Have you ever had one of the moments when you saw someone where you didn't expect to find him? Most of you know what I mean. You run into a co-worker while away on vacation. You see a neighbor at a ball game. Or how about that creepy moment that most of us experienced growing up when we saw one of our teachers at the supermarket? After all, you are only supposed to see them at school! When you really think about it, none of these moments should really be all that unexpected. However, since most of us have a tendency to compartmentalize our lives, when people in our lives transcend our neat little compartments, it often does come as a surprise.

Sadly, there are many people who treat their spiritual life the same way. Their "God time" is on Sundays and they really don't think a whole lot about what God is up to the other six days of the week. Of course, all seven days are holy to God and our Creator is busy creating, redeeming, healing, sustaining, and empowering his creation all the time. Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect for many between what goes on Sunday morning and the rest of the week. And during the summer months, when travel takes some people away from Sunday worship (although I hope that you find places to worship even when you are traveling), the chasm can grow even wider. The value of Sunday morning is not so much to focus us on God's presence and power in the moment but rather to open our eyes and ears and hearts to God's presence and power all week long wherever we are: at work, home, school, in the community, or on vacation. After all, throughout the Bible, God has been known to reveal himself in some of the most unexpected of places among some of the most unlikely of people.

I hope and pray that worship empowers us to see God and serve God in our daily lives and to understand that our lives really do make a difference in God's kingdom. I look forward to seeing you in worship in the weeks ahead, running into you in unexpected places in the community (where I probably won't be wearing a collar!), and giving thanks to God for the blessing that you are inside and outside of the church building walls. See you in church! (By the way, thank you for a wonderful Pentecost celebration this past Sunday with God's children of all ages. Also, please keep all of our new HS graduates in your prayers in the days ahead.)